Floor guards



Oct. 29, 1963 R. E. BAKER 3,

FLOOR GUARDS Filed Oct. 28, 1960 INVENTO RALPH United States Patent Filed Oct. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 65,705 1 Claim. (Cl. 45-137) This invention relates to floor guards and more particularly to a protective device for floors and articles of furniture or pieces of office equipment which lies in direct contact with a floor surface.

Generally speaking, a majority of industrial or ofiice furniture, especially of metal, are constructed so that the underside of such furniture stands flush with a supporting floor surface. Such floor surfaces, whether of vinyl, linoleum, tile, asphalt, asbestos, or the like, require constant sanitary maintenance, and accordingly, a wide variety of detergents, liquids, waxes and abrasives are applied thereto periodically. As a result, with the peri- Odic application of such material to the floor surface, a certain amount of such material finds its way, through seepage or otherwise, under the bottom surfaces of an article of furniture and along the floor surface directly in contact with it. As a result of such direct contact of the article of furniture, especially metallic furniture, and the floor, liquids finding their way therebetween soon cause rust of the metal, as for example, the flat metal bottom of a filing cabinet, or rotting in the case of wood, and the consequent staining and damage to the surrounding floor area upon which it rests.

In addition, with constant change and flux of industrial organizations, furniture or oflice equipment, of the type referred to must constantly be moved and relocated. Thus, when it becomes necessary to relocate an article of metallic furniture from its previous location to a new one, invariably, the floor area where such furniture previously rested has become married, stained, and damaged due to the rusting and rotting action of liquids which have seeped into these areas. The bottom portion of the furniture too, has become damaged due to such rusting and rotting action, and industry has been forced to spend untold sums of money for maintenance and replacement of such articles of furniture or office equipment as well as for the replacement of damaged and/or destroyed floor areas.

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide a device which will offer a maximum of protection to articles of furniture or ofiice equipment and floor surfaces against rusting, staining, marring, and damage.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a device which will allow free air circulation between two surfaces in close proximity to each other to discourage conditions favorable to corrosive action.

A further object of this invention is to provide a protective device against floor and furniture damage due to rusting, which is easy to apply and relatively inexpensive.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a device which when secured to an article of oflice furniture, as for example filing cabinets, will resist sliding, skidding, or other undesirable movement.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device which will enhance the appearance of an article of furniture especially along the bottom edge thereof.

In general, achievement of the foregoing objects and advantages is secured by the provision of elevating means affixed to the bottom of an article of furniture, office equipment, or the like, so that such article is prevented from directly contacting its supporting surface and thereby allow for air circulation between the two surfaces to discourage conditions favorable to rusting action.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a I 3', l Patented Oct. 29, 1963 particular embodiment of this invention as illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the underside of a filing cabinet, to which floor guards are aflixed along the front and rear edges thereof;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a filing cabinet shown slightly elevated with the use of the device of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a filing cabinet taken on line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the protective cover partially removed from the adhesive surface of a floor guard;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on lineS-S of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 illustrates a metal cabinet 10 with floor guards 40, 40" afiixed along the front and rear edges thereof. A metal filing cabinet 10 to which such floor guards are alfixed is merely representative of one type of structure to which the embodiment of this invention is applicable.

The floor guard 40 comprises a continuous strip of length of plastic, one surface 41, disposed to lie upon a floor surface, having a plurality of spaced longitudinal slots 45, the opposing surface having thereupon affixing means 42 for attachment to said filing cabinet 10'. Such plastic strips 46' may be of any length and may be cut and trimmed to fit any desired length to which it will eventually be affixed. Such strips 40 may be further of a thickness and width sufficient to support a structure at a minimum elevation from a floor surface' 20, although experience has indicated that the most suitable width is in the range of 1 to 2 inches and a minimum thickness of A to inch Will sufiice to give a minimum support and elevation to a filing cabinet 10 so that the fioor surface 20 is not in contact with the bottom of said cabinet 10, thus allowing for air space 30 therebetween as seen in FIG. 3.

Although plastic is utilized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, nylon, polyethylene of high or low density, or any other material unaffected by detergents, liquids, waxes or abrasives may be used.

Affixing means 42 substantially overlaying one face of the strip may include double-faced pressure sensitive tape or any adhesive which may be applied thereto and which may remain on such surface of the plastic strip 40 until it is desired to employ its adhesive characteristics when aflixing said strip 40 to a filing cabinet 10. The double-faced pressure sensitive tape 42 is preferably masked with a film of plastic 43, uvax paper or other pliable protective cover, and is peelable at the time of use.

Along one longitudinal edge of plastic strip 4-0 there is provided a lip 44, substantially at right angles to said plastic strip 40 adapted to form a decorative molding when such strip 40 is applied to a filing cabinet 10, and additionally prevents water from touching the exposed edge of such cabinet 10.

In the practice of the present invention, a strip of floor guard 40 of desired width and thickness is cut and trimmed to desired length to correspond to the area which the user desirw to 'aflix said strip. The protective cover 43 is peeled from the surface of the double-faced pressure sensitive tape 42 overlaying one face of the strip 40, and by merely tipping the filing cabinet 10 the strip is inserted along the edge 11 thereof where such strip will be afiixed. Slight pressure is sufiicient to secure such a strip 40 precisely to the desired point of the cabinet 10, so that when the cabinet is lowered, there will be no shifting or displacement of said strip.

By aifixing such strips 40 to opposing sides of the cabinet *10, the cabinet is sufficiently elevated from the floor surface to allow sufiicient air circulation therethrough so that liquids, detergents, or the like which seep between said surfaces will be unable to remain for any suflicient period of time to cause rusting of the metal of the cabinet and consequent staining of the floor.

Since such plastic strips 40 adhere relatively firmly to the underside of the cabinet 10, even constant vibrational forces generated by constant movement of filing drawers or the like will not dislodge said strips 40 from their proper position.

It is to be additionally noted that under surface 41, comprised of a plurality of longitudinally spaced slots 45, acts as a brake because of the suction created by such SlOt-s 45, and prevents slippage of the cabinets 10, when drawers are opened or closed. Such slots 45 may assume, in cross-section, the configuration of a V or may be of rectangular shape as illustrated in FIG. 6 or may be of arcuate shape. Such slots 45 are of sufiicient depth so as to further prevent building up of water bubbles due to seepage.

It is evident that the application of this relatively inexpensive devioe, particularly to industrial furniture, will serve to prevent marring and staining of floor surfaces and rusting of metal furniture and will eliminate excessive lifting, twisting or movement of such furniture in affixing said strips, as well as facilitate moving an article of furniture to a new location or moving furniture when necessary in cleaning an area where such articles are positioned, thereby saving industry untold sums of money,

time, and effort.

I claim:

A protective device for a metal cabinet to prevent detea'ioration of the undersurface of said cabinet and the floor surface upon which it rests, comprising an elongated corrosive impervious strip of rigid plastic in the range of 1 inch to 2 inches in width and in the range of inch to inch in thickness; one surface of said strip having a double faced pressure sensitive adhesive tape thereon adapted to secure said strip to the bottom of said cabinet along the front and rear edges thereof; the opposing surface of said strip having a plurality of spaced elongated grooves adapted to prevent slippage of said cabinet on a floor surface; a lip portion substantially at right angles to said strip along one longitudinal edge thereof adapted to prevent contact of a corrosive agent with the exposed bottom edge of said cabinet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,452,035 Freeman Apr. 17, 1923 1,913,629 Fredrickson June 13, 1933 1,922,127 Foley Aug. 15, 1933 1,959,262 Colabrese May 15, 1934 2,030,135 Carpenter Feb. 11, 1936 2,292,272 Hirshfield Aug. 14, 1942 2,815,252 Baker Dec. 3, 1957 2,844,909 Perchinksy July 29, 1958 2,886,918 Bayler May 19, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 705,175 Germany Apr. 19, 1941 

